How to Keep Users Engaged: Precommitment
<p>Humans like our behaviors to stay consistent with the image we hold of ourselves. For example, someone who sees themselves as athletic is more likely to join an amateur sports league than those who don’t see themselves as active.</p>
<p>That’s why getting ourselves to make a commitment to future behavior is one of the most powerful ways to stick to a goal.</p>
<p>It’s down to a behavioral science principle known as Pre-commitment.</p>
<h1>What is Pre-commitment?</h1>
<p>Pre-commitment <a href="https://www.choicehacking.com/2023/01/13/precommitment/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">says</a> that if we promise to do something in the future, we’re less likely to <a href="https://web.mit.edu/ariely/www/MIT/Papers/deadlines.pdf" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">procrastinate</a> and more likely to actually accomplish that goal.</p>
<p>The more specific and actionable a pre-commitment is, the more likely we are to follow through. Here are a few good (and bad) examples:</p>
<p>❌ Don’t say: “I want to exercise more.”</p>
<p>✅ Do say: “I commit to biking on my Peloton for 15 minutes, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.”</p>
<p>❌ Don’t say: “I want to improve my diet.”</p>
<p>✅ Do say: “I won’t eat any processed foods Monday through Friday.”</p>
<p>❌ Don’t say: “I want to get a better math grade.”</p>
<p>✅ Do say: “I will do 10 practice calculus questions in every daily study session.”</p>
<h1>Real World Examples of Pre-Commitment</h1>
<h2>1. StickK</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.stickk.com/aboutus" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">StickK</a> app was created by Yale University professor Dean Karlan to help people achieve their goals using behavioral science.</p>
<p>The app asks users to create a Commitment Contract — a “binding agreement you sign with yourself to ensure that you follow through with your intentions.”</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/choice-hacking/how-to-keep-users-engaged-precommitment-5b43e19199b3">Click Here</a></p>